I had to recover from two fairly poor tasting experiences, so I pulled something out of the cupboard that I was sure would set everything right in tea-world again.
This tea has all of the classic lapsang qualities; of course it’s “smokey,” “piney,” etc. What I love about it is that it LACKS any of the sourness or off-notes that I’ve found in a few other specimens of similar type. It’s actually difficult to explain the flavor of lapsang because you really can’t taste “smoke.” The closest I’ve been able to verbalize is a very faint tartness with a hint of rosemary. The black tea behind it is always bold.
This tea brews to a pleasant rust color and it literally makes my mouth water each time I drink it. The flavor and aroma hold to the very end. This is a really satisfying and consistent tea that I keep on hand for rainy days or wiping out bad tea memories.